May 31, 2025 2:46:59 pm

Stephen Miller posted this remark on X. Trump is clearly frustrated with the courts, but his latest tirade is not against ‘left leaning Obama’ era judges, but the Federalist Society. The FS is the legal equivalent of the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025. In fact the two often overlap as they share the same dystopian vision of a White Christian Nationalist America. We can only but hope and pray that Trump has a falling out with Russel Vought of Project 2025. 

ONE STEP CLOSER: White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said today that the White House will not use the conservative Federalist Society to make judicial picks moving forward, blasting what he called “rogue judges” who’ve blocked the administration’s domestic policies.

“You heard President Trump himself say that the Federalist Society and Leonard Leo have created a broken system for judicial vetting,” Miller told CNN’s Pamela Brown. “What it means is simply this, and nothing more: We’re not going to be using the Federalist Society to make judicial nominations at all going forward.”

Trump himself took to Truth Social yesterday to blast former Federalist Society head Leonard Leo as “a real ‘sleazebag’” and “a bad person who, in his own way, probably hates America.”

He added: “I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations.”

Miller wouldn’t say what checks and balances he believes should be in place to curtail the power of the executive branch, telling CNN, “It is not the job of a district court judge to perform an individual green light or red light on every single policy that the president takes as the head of the executive branch.” 

The post followed a three-judge panel – including a judge he appointed to the bench – blocking enforcement of his administration’s tariffs Wednesday night. An appeals court the next day temporarily reinstated the administration’s powers to levy broad tariffs while the case is pending.

“[Leo] openly brags how he controls Judges, and even Justices of the United States Supreme Court – I hope that is not so, and don’t believe it is!” Trump wrote. “In any event, Leo left The Federalist Society to do his own ‘thing.’ I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations.”

Leo and the Federalist Society were instrumental during Trump’s first term in assembling a list of conservative judges for judicial appointments. In a 2016 interview, Trump touted his work with the organization, telling a conservative radio host he “actually got the names from the Federalist [Society], and that’s considered pretty much the gold standard.”

And in 2019 remarks marking his administration’s judicial confirmations, Trump offered effusive praise for Leo’s work with the administration on confirming conservative judges.

In a statement responding to Trump’s post, Leo wrote: “I’m very grateful for President Trump transforming the Federal Courts, and it was a privilege being involved. There’s more work to be done, for sure, but the Federal Judiciary is better than it’s ever been in modern history, and that will be President Trump’s most important legacy.”

Still, Trump’s ire for the group did not seem to extend to his more recent judicial picks. Of the six judicial nominees he announced Wednesday, two – Ed Artau and Jordan Pratt – are Federalist Society members.

Clarence Thomas – Leonard Leo – Mitch McConnell – six of the nine Supreme Court justices have ties to the Federalist Society.